Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers

Maria Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers (born February 1, 1965) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as the chief United States district judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Appointed in 2011 by President Barack Obama, she was previously a California state judge on the Alameda County Superior Court from 2008 to 2011.

Early life and education

Rogers was born Maria Yvonne Gonzalez in 1965 in Houston. She graduated from Princeton University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude. From 1987 to 1988, she worked as a legal researcher at a law firm in New Haven, Connecticut. She then attended the University of Texas School of Law, graduating in 1991 with a Juris Doctor.

Career

From 1991 until 2003, Rogers worked as a litigator in private practice in San Francisco at the law firm of Cooley Godward LLP (now Cooley LLP). She replaced Judge Carlos G. Ynostroza on the bench. The Senate confirmed her on November 15, 2011, by an 89–6 vote. She received her commission on November 21, 2011. She became chief judge of the court in 2026.

Notable cases

Rogers has adjudicated various cases against Apple. In 2012, Rogers dismissed a class action lawsuit with prejudice, upholding Apple's defense that the "Illinois Brick doctrine" from the Supreme Court case applied, as only the developers of apps could be damaged by Apple's policies, and consumers did not have statutory standing to bring suit on the developers' behalf. The Court specifically noted that the 30% fee Apple collects is "a cost passed-on to consumers by independent software developers". The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed her decision, and the Court of Appeals was upheld by the Supreme Court in Apple Inc. v. Pepper.

In December 2014, Rogers presided over a jury trial against Apple, in which plaintiffs claimed digital rights management (DRM) on Apple iTunes violated antitrust laws. On December 16, 2014, the jury reached a verdict in favor of Apple.

Rogers presided over the Epic Games v. Apple case. On August 24, 2020, Rogers issued an order granting a temporary restraining order for Epic's Unreal Engine, finding that the termination of Epic's developer account could result in the inability to "save all the projects by third-party developers relying on the engine that were shelved while support was unavailable." However, Rogers refused to grant a temporary restraining order with respect to Epic's apps, including Fortnite, citing that Epic's current predicament "appears of its own making."

Rogers presided over Musk v. Altman. She is now presiding over the bribery and corruption case against former Oakland mayor Sheng Thao.

Rogers is presiding over the trial of Meta where Meta is accused of harming children with addictive technology and violating federal laws on child privacy and consumer protection with their algorithms and data collection. She is also set the rule on the case with the help of an eight person advisory jury.

Notable activities

Rogers was elected to the American Law Institute in 1990 and was elected to the ALI Council in 2009. She currently chairs the ALI's Membership Committee and serves as an Adviser on ALI's Principles of Election Law: Resolution of Election Disputes project.

Personal life

Rogers' husband, Matthew C. Rogers, served in various positions in the Obama administration. The couple live in Piedmont, California.